A stark contrast: Canada and the U.S. face the challenge of COVID-19

"Each [country] is taking a different approach to the pandemic. It remains to be seen how COVID-19 impacts each country’s population and economy, given their respective governments’ actions or inaction."

As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts the health and economy of Canadians and Americans, their governments’ responses could not be more different. Since January, the world has watched the devastation wrought by COVID-19, first in China, and then in South Korea, Iran, and Italy. Each country declared quarantines and states of emergency. Medical systems were overwhelmed by a lack of resources to treat a massive number of infections, followed by thousands of deaths. In mid-March, U.S., President Donald Trump barred travellers from the European Union for 30 days. The following week, the Canadian and U.S. governments closed their common border to non-essential travel, while continuing commercial trade.

The two countries have since taken markedly different paths to addressing the threat and communicating it to their citizens.

In Canada, there has been an unprecedented level of co-operation among federal, provincial, and municipal governments. The message has been consistent: social distancing, flattening the curve, and providing financial support so citizens can survive the severe economic downturn. In contrast, President Trump has not provided substantive federal resources to individual states — notably New York, which is being devastated by COVID-19. And the images of thousands of students celebrating spring break on a Florida beach just last week underlines the lack of communication among municipalities, states and the federal government.

In Canada, Prime Minister Trudeau conveys the federal government’s priorities on a daily basis. He is always followed by a medical update from Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Teresa Tam. In contrast, President Trump’s daily COVID-19 press briefings have been unstructured, rambling, self-congratulatory and largely partisan. He has blurted out misinformation referencing possible cures, suggested that medical personnel should re-use Personal Protective Equipment. U.S. public health officials and the media have added to the misinformation, some even denying the threat posed by the COVID-19 virus. For instance, on March 24, 2020, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams stated that America had “turned the corner” on coronavirus testing. “We have now done more testing in the last eight days than [South] Korea has done in eight weeks,” he said. This is incorrect.

Canadian politicians and health care officials remain focused on flattening the curve so that hospitals and medical resources are not overwhelmed. They have declined to estimate when schools, businesses, and the economy will return to normal. Again, in contrast, President Trump, in a letter to U.S. governors on March 26, suggested new guidelines to categorize counties by “high-risk, medium-risk, or low-risk.” He has urged the country to return to work by Easter Sunday, though changed his tone in a Sunday press conference, extending social distancing guidelines until April 30.

In the coming weeks and months, COVID-19 will continue to impact the health and welfare of both Canadian and American citizens and economies. The ability to protect each country’s population depends on successful policies and communications, providing economic stimulus and relief, and the willingness of governments to intervene. The Canadian and the U.S. governments are very different countries, with very different social safety nets and medical systems. Each is taking a different approach to the pandemic. It remains to be seen how COVID-19 impacts each country’s population and economy, given their respective governments’ actions or inaction.

Paul M. Yeung is a Global Fellow at the Canada Institute at the Wilson Center. He is also a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), based in Toronto.

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